Thursday, June 16, 2016

Colistin resistance found again

A couple of posts ago I discussed the specter of Pestilence in the form of drug-resistant bacteria. Since then, it has been reported in many media outlets that the gene that confers resistance to colistin, mcr-1, was found again, this time in a tissue sample from a pig.

Advocates who track antibiotic resistance, especially in agriculture, reacted to the news of U.S. colistin resistance by emphasizing the gravity this finding deserves.

“This shows that we are right on the verge of getting into the territory of routine bacterial infections being untreatable,” Steven Roach, the food safety program director at the Food Animal Concerns Trust, said by phone. “It underscores the failure of both the federal government and Congress, and the industry, to get a grasp of the problem. We can’t continue to drag our feet on taking needed action.”